Churches of Ethiopia: The Monastery of Narga Sellase Di Salvo, Mario

Description

Narga Sellase’s monastery sits on a tiny islet in the middle of Lake Tana, the great body of water in the centre of the Ethiopian plateau near to the imperial city of Gondar. Founded in 1748, Narga Sellase is one of the constellation of monasteries on the lake. They are the expression of a civilization which since the 4th century has known the Christianity on which its identity is founded.The extraordinary beauty of the natural surroundings and the concentric space of the monastic complex enclose the holiness of the sanctuary, making Narga Sellase a strikingly suggestive place. The church is one of the masterpieces in the multi-millenial Ethiopian civilization– an ancient but extant Christian enclave in Africa–, and is noted not only for the superb quality of the paintings which completely cover the walls of the